Vietnam Transport Firms Pledge to Combat Wildlife Trading

A group of 33 Vietnamese transport and logistics companies across Vietnam, especially those in big cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Haiphong have pledged to say no to wildlife trading, state media reported, citing state officials at a meeting last weekend. The commitment given by more than 80 representatives of the domestic companies and associations will help contribute to fights against wildlife trafficking which is at an alarming bell over the globe, including Vietnam, the Nong Nghiep Viet Nam newspaper (Vietnam Agriculture) cited TRAFFIC, joint program of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Transporting, either deliberately or accidentally, plays an important role in the trading of wild animals and the commitment will help Vietnam push down the wildlife trade, said experts at the meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City. “Vietnam is at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade. It is a source, consumer and transit country. The Vietnamese logistic and transport companies play a key role in transport of legally traded goods, but also illegal commodities—often involuntarily, sometimes knowingly. This workshop will give key transport and logistic enterprises in Vietnam knowledge, resources and support so that they can minimize the reputational risk of being implicated in wildlife crime,” said Madelon Willemsen, head of TRAFFIC in Vietnam. At the workshop, participants were given how they can protect their reputation by implementing corporate social responsibility policies and a code of conduct in integrating into wildlife-free consumption. The event, which is jointly organized by TRAFFIC, the Vietnam CITES Management Authority, and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), is an important component of a three-year project, in partnership with WWF and funded by the French Development Agency. Vietnam and China share the leading position in the world’s wildlife trade destinations due to high consumption of wild animals for a traditional conception that wildlife products will help improve health and cure diseases, especially fatal ones. (Nongnghiep.vn Aug 15, Vietnamplus.vn Aug 15)